Coping
by SwampTreader
Summary: She had been injured before but her wounds had never uncovered something like this before...


_How had this happened?_

Sokka dove onto his knees and picked up Toph's limp body from the dusty ground. Her lip was split, a line of blood dripping down her chin. Her cheek was bruised and cuts littered her pale skin. He has been called to the scene as tensions rose between the Triads and the Republic City police force. Everyone had hoped that, perhaps, he could calm everything down but he had arrived too late. He didn't care who struck first or how or why, all he knew was that he spotted a little heap of metal and a tangle of black hair laying on the ground. He cradled her across his knees and against his chest. Dirt, the hiss of metal cables, fire and water were all around them, the air thick with cries of anger and pain. Something warm seeped across his palm. He pulled his hand from Toph's side to find it covered in blood. He leaned over and saw a thin slit in her armor, something must have punctured it.

"Toph, wake up," Sokka called gently after peeling his eyes away from the blood on his hand and to her face. "Toph," he called again. Her eyes cracked open and she took a deep breath.

"Sokka? What are you doing- there was a fight-" she suddenly seemed to remember where she was and tried to scramble up to continue fighting but cried out when the jagged metal of her damaged uniform bit into her skin.

"Easy, you're hurt."

"I know that," she grunted, her eyes screwing shut, "Meathead."

Sokka brushed her hair from her eyes, his once clean fingertips becoming sticky with blood. She winced as he thumbed the cut on her lip gently. He glanced at the wound on her side again, finding that blood had seeped from the uniform and was pooling on the ground, soaking into the knees of his pants as well. "Come on," he said shifting to his feet, trying to shove down the panic rising in his throat. Her scream cut through all the chaos around them.

"My leg," she gasped, her eyes wide in pain, sucking in air. Sokka reached his full height and looked at her legs. One of them was twisted unnaturally at the knee, the metal shin-guard was bend harshly.

"I think you hurt your knee." Toph's eyes widened and she made a small squeak of panic. "Shh, relax, I'll take care of you, its ok."

"You better, Ponytail," she said through clenched teeth. The councilman looked around him, searching for a way out of the midst of the battle. He found one, down a back alley.

* * *

An hour later he was pacing down a hall in the house on Air Temple Island having been banished from the room by his little sister. She had told him it was for Toph's privacy, and while that was true, he was also annoying Katara. Toph had been very brave, reining in her cries as he had carried her away from the fight. She had locked her jaw and refused to let anything more than a gasp pass from between her teeth. She was too tough for her own good sometimes. His councilman unifrom itched and stuck to his back with sweat. He yanked at his collar imaptiently. It had been too long, too much time had passed since they had been in there. He was left alone in the hall, no one to speak to or to give him reassuring words. Aang was away at the scene of the fight trying to calm things down and he was left alone. He rubbed his eyes and groaned. Suddenly the gentle sound of wood sliding against itself reached his ears. Katara slid the door shut behind her and gave Sokka a weak smile.

"Is she ok?"

"Yes... she's... fine."

"Can I see her?" He asked hopefully.

"Um... I don't think-"

"Sokka?" Toph's weak voice floated through the rice paper into the hall.

He moved forward to go to her but Katara stepped in his way. "She's probably hallucinating. She took a pretty good hit to the head."

"But what if she's awake?" He asked.

"She's not, Sokka, she's sleeping right now," his sister persisted.

"Why are you acting so weird?"

Katara rubbed her forehead and shut her eyes briefly. "Just let me explain to you how she's doing, ok? That's what you want to know isn't it?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Good. Her kneecap was essentially torn from her leg, all the ligaments were severed entirely but I managed to patch that up pretty easily. She won't be allowed, or probably even _able_ to walk for a week or two and even after that she's still going to need a lot of help getting around. The cut on her side wasn't as bad as I thought. I thought she might have broken a rib but everything was ok. She hit her head, obviously, and has a pretty bad concussion but that can be fixed with bed rest," she shrugged. "Her elbow bone is bruised and the muscles pulled, but that's no big deal, really. Aside from the little bruises and lacerations she's fine."

"So she'll be ok then?" He asked, just to be sure.

"Yes, Sokka, she'll be fine."

"So I can see her now?"

"I-" she seemed to think for a minute, "Yes go ahead."

Sokka darted into the room and practically dove into the chair beside her bed. He gathered her hand in his, rubbing his hand over her scarred skin. Her hand was not soft like other women he had known. No, her hands were calloused, scarred and rough from years of earthbending. She looked like she was just sleeping, not unconcious from blood loss and head injury. Her skin was like ivory compared to his, kind of like a piano with those thin black keys. He sat like that for hours, even until Aang arrived home. Kya and Bumi had been home for a while now, Katara keeping them away from he and Toph. Every so often he would put an arm under her shoulders and lift her up, pouring the tiniest bit of water down her throat. He stayed there that night, never really sleeping, only dozing with his head resting on the sheets. The next morning he was awoken by Katara shaking his shoulder. "You need to come eat something," she insisted. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes.

Right at that moment Toph shot straight up and leaned over the edge of the bed clutching her stomach. "Move!" Katara demanded rather calmly, practically shoving her brother out of his chair. She held Toph's hair away from her face and put a bin under her on the floor. Sokka grimanced when she vomitted vioently. She hissed in pain as she laid back down. Her ribs ached as did everything else. Katara shuffled Sokka out of the room and slid the door shut behind them. "She's needs a few minutes to get herself together, in the meantime you need breakfast. Go on," she shooed.

If he wasn't in a daze he would have protested but things had happened rather quickly, he was still trying to get the sleep out of his eyes for La's sake! But he obeyed his sister. When he came back to visit Toph the waterbender stood in front of her door as though guarding it. "We need to talk."

"What did I do wrong this time?" He chuckled.

"This is serious, Sokka."

"Gee, what is it?" He asked, his face straight.

Katara took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. "I dont know anyway to tell you this than to just say it... Toph's pregnant."

His heart sank like a rock thrown into the ocean. It kind of felt like his whole world came crashing down around him. He had never excepted _that _to come from Katara's mouth. And his thoughts snapped back to Toph... he loved her, she- she was the one who was supposed to be with him. Didn't she love him back? "She- what?"

"She's pregnant, Sokka, that's all I know, you'll have to ask her for the details.

As she walked away he felt like his entire body was numb and his blood laden with lead. How could this be happening? The woman he was in love with was a having a child with another man. Then he berated himself because, no, he had never told her how he felt so how could she possibly understand? He floated into her room, not really knowing when or how he sat down on the bed by her hip. She was awake and staring at him, she had the impeccable talent to point her blind eyes directly into his. Tears brimmed as she waited for him to talk. "Are you mad?" She said weakly.

He shook his head.

"Say something!" She demanded after a long time of silence.

"How could I ever be angry with you, Toph?" He gave her a small smile. "Who's is it?"

"He- I've known him for a long time, years now. He's in the United Forces, a captain. His name's Shang. We- we've always kind of had a thing I guess but then his company docked at Republic City two months ago, and we were drunk, but I wanted to and-"

"Hey, hey, shhh, its alright, Toph really," He comforted as she began to ramble frantically and tears slipped down her cheeks. He pulled her into his lap and held her against his chest.

"But he's gone now, and he doesn't even know! He could be dead for all I know, Sokka!"

"We'll get it figured out, don't worry, we'll find out." He promised her these things because he loved her, ignoring the fact that his heart was breaking and shattering and utterly falling to pieces with every word that he pledged to help find her lover.

"Thank you," she cried softly.

"Do you love him?" He asked barley above a whisper, he really wasn't even sure if he had meant for her to hear it or not.

"Yes."

* * *

A month later and Toph was back at work but only in the office, she was not allowed to do physical labor. Her injuries were still healing _and_ she was carrying a child.

Sokka had looked mercilessly for records of Captain Shang. If Toph loved him then that was enough. He would do anything for that woman even if it meant reuniting her with the man that was not him. He had dedicated a lot of time and effort in finding these records. It was surprisingly difficult to relay news back and forth between sea and land and Force commands. When he finally found it, his heart sank. He had tried so hard and all for nothing. He sealed the document and delivered it to Toph at her home. He hated hurting her... and that was exactly what he did when he read it to her.

* * *

"He's dead?"

"I'm sorry, Toph."

"Oh. _Oh_..." The strongest woman he knew was suddenly in a little heap at his feet, sobbing uncontrollably. He flew to her side and wrapped her in his arms. "What am I going to do? This baby wont have a father, I'll be the ridicule of the whole city! An unwed mother and without a man at all at that! It's absurd! My baby is going to be so- I'm going to fail, Sokka! I'm gonna fail this kid and he'll be so screwed up! I'm not a mother! I'm not Katara! What am I supposed to do?"

"I'll help you, Toph. I won't ever abandon you, you don't have to worry about that. You won't ever have to worry," he consoled.

She cried for a long time, neither of them speaking. "Why are you doing all this for me?"

"Because I love you. I've loved you for a long time."

* * *

**AN: Ugh a horrific ending again, rushed, no surprise, however I liked this one. I was given the prompt that Toph is injured during her police work and Sokka has to cope. But then it went places I really hadn't intended for it to go lol Tell me what you think! :)**


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